Caol Ila 15 Years Old 2009 Cask #2101024 (Silver Seal)

The bottler Silver Seal released this Caol Ila, a 15 year old, distilled in 2009, from cask 2101024, bottled at 52.8%, one of 273 bottles. Caol Ila was rebuilt in the 1970s into the large distillery it is today. The six tall stills sit behind picture windows looking out to Jura.

Drawn off the distillery's six tall stills from peated barley, for a smoky spirit with a citrus lift. A sherry cask gave dried fruit and a dark, nutty sweetness. At oxidative maturity vanillin and lactones are fully expressed and ellagitannin tannins lend a polished, drying frame to the smoke. Smoked citrus and a saline minerality are the hallmarks of the make. Years in oak round the smoke, the peat mellowing while the brine stays. Long fermentations build the fruity, citrus notes that sit beneath the smoke. Cool, damp warehousing slows the loss of the angel's share over the years.

At a hearty 52.8% it carries real weight. Peat, smoked fish and a citrus oil, with raisin, date and treacle from the cask. Beneath the smoke run lemon, brine and a peppery oil. Ash, lemon and brine draw out the close. This is a refined, citrus driven Islay smoke.